Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad broke his foot, dislocated his shoulder twice, and a tore his oblique throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, head coach Paul Maurice told TNT following Tuesday's Game 5 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Ekblad only missed one game throughout Florida's run to the final - Game 4 against the Boston Bruins in Round 1. Maurice said Ekblad broke his foot in the club's opening series but didn't clarify when the other injuries occurred.
The 27-year-old notched eight points across 20 postseason games and averaged nearly 24 minutes per contest.
Ekblad wasn't the only Panthers defenseman who battled significant injuries, as Maurice revealed Radko Gudas suffered a high-ankle sprain that normally would have required six weeks of rehab. The gritty blue-liner ultimately missed a single period as Florida fell three wins short of capturing the Stanley Cup.
Panthers superstar Matthew Tkachuk was held out of Game 5 due to a broken sternum.
Maurice didn't offer recovery timelines for his injured players but said some are in jeopardy of missing the start of the 2023-24 campaign, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
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